The visual artist and choreographer Jan Fabre, accused of harassment and indecent assault by dancers within his company, was sentenced this Friday to 18 months in prison suspended by the criminal court of Antwerp (north). During the trial, at the end of March, a sentence of three years in prison had been requested against this figure of contemporary art, but the court considered that part of the facts were time-barred and dismissed the charges of six of the twelve ( well twelve) alleged victims.
Deprived of his civic rights
Jan Fabre, who had not attended the trial, was also absent when the judgment was announced. “We are satisfied with this judgment,” reacted An-Sofie Raes, one of the lawyers representing the civil parties, quoted by the Flemish daily De Standaard. Caught up by the #MeToo wave in 2018, the 63-year-old Fleming was tried for “violence, harassment or sexual harassment at work” against 12 former employees of his company Troubleyn. He also had to answer for an “indecent assault” against one of them.
On Friday, the judgment upheld a sexual assault against one of the complainants, and violence or humiliation against five others. The 18-month sentence is accompanied by a stay of execution for a period of five years, during which Jan Fabre is deprived of his civic rights, according to a copy of the judgment sent to the press.
Erotic photo shoots
On March 25, the first day of the trial, he had been portrayed, in the testimonies of several dancers, as a tyrannical man during rehearsals, regularly humiliating his collaborators and having even practiced sexual blackmail on some of them. Several alleged victims have recounted erotic photo sessions directed by the choreographer, under the “false pretext” of publication in an artistic magazine. Some sessions ended with sexual intercourse.
On April 1, the defense of Jan Fabre had delivered a completely different image of the artist, portrayed in “romantic anar”, but certainly “not a criminal”. His lawyer Eline Tritsmans admitted the “strong character” of Jan Fabre, and the fact that working with him “is to give 100%” in grueling performances where one aims “the real exhaustion, the real emotions” .